Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 529: The Enemy and Us Each Use Their Own Methods
Xingyue Island is located in the east of Fuhai Province, about 1,300 miles away from Zhaowuwei. It is one of the islands closest to the land in the southeast waters.

The islands occupied by the Xingyue Sect are not just Xingyue Island, but also 64 islands of various sizes. Most of them are uninhabited reef islands, and only a dozen islands have fresh water resources for human habitation.

Among these dozen islands, four slightly larger islands are the bases of the Four Flags Army, and each island has about four to six thousand sailors.

Xingyue Island, where the Xingyue Sect's headquarters is located, is a fairly large island, more than thirty miles long from east to west and more than twenty miles wide from north to south. It is shaped like a long strip from east to west, with high terrain in the east and low terrain in the west. There are three mountain peaks in the east, and the highest peak is about a hundred feet high.

Its coastline is tortuous, with many reefs near the coast. The eastern coast is mostly cliffs, and it is difficult to land even by small boat. The western coast is mainly sandy beaches, and although you can go ashore, only small boats can do so, and even medium-sized ships cannot dock.

On the entire island, there is only one pier on the south side that is suitable for large ships. It can accommodate more than 300 large and small ships and is the most important entry and exit pier for Xingyue Island.

The western part of Xingyue Island is flat, and there are three small rivers flowing down from the mountains and forests in the east, so it is extremely suitable for farming.

Most of the residents on the island live in the western part of Xingyue Island. There is a city the size of a county town near the pier, and there are more than 50 villages of various sizes scattered elsewhere.

There are probably more than 40,000 people living on the entire Xingyue Island. If other islands are included, the Xingyue Sect probably governs 100,000 people.

It is obviously not sustainable to use 100,000 people to support 20,000 Four-Flag Army and many warriors. Therefore, although the Xingyue Sect has fertile land to cultivate, they do not make a living by farming.

Their main business is to go out to sea to trade, rob merchant ships, and collect protection fees from other pirates.

In the past, they established the Seven Stars Hall in Darong, with the purpose of making money to support the warriors in the sect.

In the past two years, the Seven Stars Hall was hit by the Shangwu Temple and has been completely destroyed. The Xingyue Sect's maritime trade has also made less and less profit due to the Royal Merchants' aggressive snatching of orders.

So the Xingyue Sect is not having an easy time now. Although they are far away from Dayong, they actually still have to rely on Dayong's supplies to survive.

However, compared to the destruction of Qixingtang, the biggest trouble for Xingyuemen is that Dayong is about to send a large army to attack.

In the lobby of Xingyuemen, ten senior officials gathered together to discuss how to deal with Darong's army.

It was no secret that Dayong had assembled many navies to form the Four Seas Navy. Almost all the forces that paid attention to Dayong knew about it.

The Xingyue Sect naturally also knew about this. They even knew the composition of the Four Seas Navy and some officials of the Four Seas Navy, such as Yang Zhengshan. They knew it all clearly.

At this time, the ten senior leaders in the hall included the sect leader Yue Hongyi, the accompanying hall master Nan Haiyan, the management hall master Qu Fusheng, the punishment hall master Si Yulou, the ceremonial hall master Deng Yuehe, the sword-wielding protector Sun Chunhe, the seal-wielding protector Yan Wushang, and the four-flag army leaders Li Chengzhang, Wang Mingjian, Han Changshun, and Cheng Wuji.

Ten people gathered in the lobby, and the atmosphere seemed a little solemn.

Yue Hongyi was wearing a black gown, his gray hair was combed meticulously, his thin cheeks were slightly sunken, and his expressionless face gave people a sinister and cold feeling.

He sat upright in the main seat, his eyes scanning everyone like sharp swords.

"Tell me, how should we deal with Darong's army next!"

The sound was like that of a night owl, with a hint of mournfulness.

The faces of the people below were solemn, some had frowned, some had expressionless faces, and some had their eyes closed to rest.

"Master, perhaps we can take the initiative to attack!" Nan Haiyan said softly with a kind face.

Nan Haiyan is probably in his fifties, slightly plump with soft cheeks. He looks like a kind old man, but everyone who knows him knows that he is a cruel and ruthless person.

If you are not ruthless and ruthless, you will not be able to get ahead in the Xingyue Sect, nor will you be able to hold a high position in the Xingyue Sect.

There is no talk of benevolence, righteousness, and morality within the Xingyue Sect; only the strong are respected and the fittest survive.

“No, although taking the initiative can gain the upper hand, it may also lead to greater retaliation from the Darong Dynasty!” Si Yulou, head of the Punishment Hall, said in a deep voice.

He glanced at Yan Wushang and continued, "If Yan Wushang hadn't attacked Yuzhou City this time, how could Darong be so angry?"

"If we attack the Four Seas Navy again, Dayong will most likely fight us to the death!"

The Xingyue Sect's attack on Yuzhou was not the result of a discussion among the Xingyue Sect's top leaders, but an unintentional mistake.

Initially, the Xingyue Sect had no intention of killing people in Yuzhou City. They had only two goals before entering Yuzhou City. The first was to burn down the four weaving workshops in Yuzhou City, and the second was to take the opportunity to rob some money and food.

But when the pirates entered Yuzhou City tonight, they lost control. They burned the weaving workshop and robbed money and food. However, they were still not satisfied and began to loot money and slaughter innocent people in the city, causing tens of thousands of people to suffer.

"So what if the fight continues until death? Do we still fear them?" Yan Wushang frowned and looked at Si Yulou with dissatisfaction.

"Afraid!" Si Yulou said coldly: "If you are not afraid, go and deal with Darong's navy!"

"That's easy to say. With Darong's national strength, it's easy to raise an army of 100,000. But what about us? The Four-Flag Army is our foundation. Are we going to fight to the death with the Four-Flag Army?"

Upon hearing this, the four commanders of the Four Flags Army all nodded in agreement.

Xingyuemen only has the 20,000 naval forces of the Four Flags Army. If the Four Flags Army is defeated, Xingyuemen will have no soldiers to use.

As for the pirates under their control, they are just a bunch of rabble and cannot be relied upon at all.

Yan Wushang's face was gloomy. "If we don't fight hard, are we just waiting to be killed? Since Darong has gathered its troops, there is no room for easing the situation. Now we can only fight them. As long as we can defeat them, our Xingyue Sect will have no rivals in the southeastern sea area!"

"But what if we lose?" Si Yulou said in a deep voice: "Once we lose, there will be no place for our Xingyue Sect in the Wanli Sea!"

The two of them started arguing with each other.

Other people in the hall also interrupted and the atmosphere suddenly became noisy.

Some people wanted to fight, some wanted to avoid it, some thought it was a good opportunity to have a big battle with Darong to increase the power of Xingyue Sect, some thought they should avoid the enemy, shrink back and waste time with Darong.

In a moment, everyone in the hall started arguing.

Yue Hongyi was getting a little impatient with the noise, "Okay, is it any use to make noise now? Shut up!"

The atmosphere was silent for a moment, and Yue Hongyi spoke again: "Now whether to fight or not is not decided by us, but by Daiei."

"Now that things have come to this, we can't avoid the battle. Darong will never stop."

"We need to consider whether to take the initiative or wait and see!"

Yue Hongyi's eyes swept across everyone and finally landed on Qu Fusheng, "Fusheng, what do you think?"

Qu Fusheng said calmly: "The Sect Master is right. What we need to consider now is whether to take the initiative or wait for the opportunity to attack!"

"If we take the initiative, time is short and it will be difficult for us to gain an advantage. As for waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out?"

He hesitated for a moment, "Da Rong's navy is still mobilizing troops. After they finish gathering their troops, they will probably need to be trained, so they will not attack in the short term!"

"And we can also take advantage of this time to gather more strength!"

Taking the initiative is easier said than done.

It's not that they can't take the initiative, but they can't gamble. They can't afford to lose.

"Gather more strength?" Yue Hongyi looked at Qu Fusheng thoughtfully.

Qu Fusheng had a faint smile on his pale face, "Master, why don't we drag Shenmu Island and Dihuo Island into the water? Not only them, we can also gather more pirates!"

"According to the information we received, Darong has only gathered 50,000 naval forces this time. If we can drag many forces into the water, then it will be no problem for us to gather a 100,000-strong army!"

Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard this.

Many forces in the Southeast Sea are afraid of Dayong, but at the same time they also covet Dayong's wealth.

They dare not offend Darong easily, but if they are given the opportunity to enter Darong to plunder, there will definitely be many forces willing to participate.

"DaRong wants to wipe us out, so we will muddy the waters and drag all the forces in the southeastern sea area into the water!"

Qu Fusheng sneered, "We can harass merchant ships and invade Darong. We can even attack Darong's south! Follow the rivers and enter Darong's hinterland!"

"As long as we can achieve this, we can turn the world upside down in Darong!"

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"By then, Darong will probably have no intention of attacking us!"

Yue Hongyi was thoughtful, "What do you mean?"

Qu Fusheng said: "We have to take the initiative to attack, but not against the Sihai Navy, but against Songhe Prefecture in Jiangnan. We will plunder Songhe Prefecture and use this as an example to attract other forces to join us. At the same time, we can also take the opportunity to lure other forces to actively harass the coast of Darong."

His idea was not difficult to understand. He wanted to set an example for the pirates in the southeastern waters by attacking Songhe Prefecture first, plundering a large amount of wealth from Songhe Prefecture, and then using it to lure those forces that coveted Dayong's wealth.

When someone takes the lead, there will naturally be bold and fierce villains following. Once there is the first one, there will be a second one. Once there is a second one, there will be a large group of forces that cannot resist the temptation.

It will help to drive many pirates in the southeast waters. When things get worse and worse, even Shenmu Island and Dihuo Island will not be able to bear it.

Once Shenmu Island and Dihuo Island get involved, it will not be just the business of Xingyue Sect alone, but a confrontation between all the forces in the entire Southeast Sea and Dayong.

"It's not easy to get them involved!" Yue Hong said.

Darong's power is still very strong. Generally speaking, the forces in the southeastern waters do not dare to provoke Darong.

Qu Fusheng said: "This is not difficult. We cannot mobilize other forces, but if it is just a few pirates, we can still drive them!"

"We are only responsible for providing an introduction. As for the rest, perhaps we don't need to do much at all!"

Yue Hongyi nodded slightly, and the others also thought this plan was very good, and they all agreed: "This plan is feasible!"

"And even if we fail, it doesn't matter. It won't be worse than the current situation!" Qu Fusheng said again.

Yue Hongyi agreed with his plan and without hesitation, he directly ordered: "Then follow your plan, and you will be responsible for this matter!"

……

Just as the Xingyue Sect was planning to attack Songhe Prefecture, Yang Zhengshan was also planning how to cause some trouble within the Xingyue Sect.

In the study room of Sihai Yamen, Yang Zhengshan summoned Luo Jinsong and asked, "Can you sneak into Xingyue Island?"

Luo Jinsong said without hesitation: "Yes!"

"Will it be dangerous?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"There is definitely danger, but I am confident that I won't be discovered!" said Luo Jinsong.

There are tens of thousands of people living on Xingyue Island, so even if a stranger appears, he will not be discovered. However, in order to sneak into Xingyue Island safely, you need someone who is familiar with Xingyue Island, and Luo Jinsong is undoubtedly the most suitable person under Yang Zhengshan.

Yang Zhengshan nodded, "Two tasks. The first is to find a way to deliver these letters to them!"

He took out a large stack of letters and handed them to Luo Jinsong. Luo Jinsong looked at the stack of letters with a look of surprise.

"so much?"

Yang Zhengshan's mouth curled up slightly, "Yes, that's it!"

"Including Yue Hongyi, every high-ranking member of the Xingyue Sect has one. Not only is there the official seal of the Four Seas Navy, but also my personal seal!"

"But there are two different letters here. One is for Si Yulou. The conditions given by others are only to make him an earl, but the condition given to Si Yulou is to make him a marquis!"

"The other one is from Cheng Wuji, also from the title of Marquis!"

"This is for Cheng Wuji, but this cannot be given to Si Yulou, or else it will be leaked to other people very carelessly."

The letter is used to appease, but it is not a real appeasement.

Alienation meter!
How to alienate?

Yang Zhengshan didn't have a good plan in mind, so he just thought of attacking with random punches.

Each person had a letter of surrender, but two of them were different. The letters from the others seemed to be the first contact, while the letters from Si Yulou and Cheng Wuji seemed to be the result of many exchanges, with better conditions and higher treatment.

After listening to this, Luo Jinsong pondered for a while and understood what Yang Zhengshan meant. He said, "I understand. I'll do it right away!"

"Wait, there's one more thing!" Yang Zhengshan quickly grabbed him.

Luo Jinsong became a little anxious.

Yang Zhengshan took out another letter and said, "This letter is for Deng Yuehe. You said she is the most likely to be won over. If possible, try to see her in person!"

The other letters were just a decoy; Deng Yuehe was Yang Zhengshan’s real target.

"It may be dangerous to meet Deng Yuehe. You should find out the details first before taking any action. If you think Deng Yuehe is worth winning over, then you can arrange a meeting with her. If you think it is not possible, then give up."

"Anyway, after you go to Xingyue Island, you will act according to the actual situation. However, whether you can accomplish something or not, you must prioritize your own safety!"

Yang Zhengshan didn't want to involve Luo Jinsong, so he gave many warnings.

Luo Jinsong sensed Yang Zhengshan's concern and felt warm in his heart, "Don't worry, Lord Marquis, I will be careful!"

"Well, go ahead and be careful!"

Yang Zhengshan gave Luo Jinsong one more reminder before he left.

(End of this chapter)